Schoolhouse Blues
by BensonandStabler
Summary: A story set while Casey was disbarred for three years. I suck at summaries and titles for that manner. Casey is a teacher and becomes worried when her best student starts drifting away. P.S. Thanks for all the feedback on my other stories. #safebenson
1. Chapter 1

Schoolhouse Blues

By: BensonandStabler

A story set while Casey was disbarred for three years. I suck at summaries and titles for that manner. Casey is a teacher and becomes worried when her best student starts drifting away. P.S. Thanks for all the feedback on my other stories. **#savebenson**

For three long years, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak was suspended. With nothing to do, she found a job at a local school in her neighborhood, Brookside Junior High. The job opening was for a new class called American Criminal Law; the perfect class for Casey to teach. None of the other applicants were as qualified as she, so naturally she got the job. Sixth graders learned how the system works and seventh graders learned the law. Finally, eight graders held biweekly mock trials. One week was used to set up a case and work out the details. The following week is the trial. If they finish the trial before the end of the week, they start reading the next case file. The evidence is open to all, but the trial is not scripted. The students are in charge and that helps them succeed. The defense and prosecution are chosen in alphabetical order and switched from defense to prosecution and vice versa. Then, the others make up the jury, judges, clerk, and the other court members. No crime is off limits. Rape, incest, pedophilia, manslaughter, the works. Casey didn't want to sugar coat what court was like, but they stuck to robbery or attempted murder whenever the principal visited just to be safe. All the students loved the class and they all loved Casey.

"You got 60 seconds on the clock," Casey informed the students, "Wrap it up, kids."

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Matt Kennedy, this week's judge, asked jury #1, Nicholas Cook.

"We have, your Honor," Nicholas answered.

"On the sole count of manslaughter in the first degree, how do you find the defendant?"

"We find the defendant…not guilty."

The school bell rang just after Matt adjourned the court.

"Good job, guys," Casey smiled to the 20 students who made up her 11th and last class of the day, "On Monday, we'll start over again."

The kids scurried out the door leaving only one behind. The girl was always the last to leave. She picked up her books and headed towards the door.

"Lacy," Casey called for the girl.

Lacy's soft, green eyes widened for a second, but she ticked a few loose strands of brown hair behind her ear and pretended not to hear. Casey rushed over and stood in front of the door.

"Did you think you could escape that easily?" Casey cocked an eyebrow.

"I guess not," Lacy smiled.

Lacy had been Casey's best and favorite student since Day 1. She was dedicated, smart, and kind. She had a bright future ahead of her. Casey thought of her as a daughter and Lacy felt a motherly love from Casey.

"Are you coming to Debate Club on Saturday?" Casey asked.

"I can't make it."

"Why not?" Casey sounded disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Miss Novak. My father needs to me to watch my baby sister this weekend."

"That's okay. Now, go. Don't miss the bus."

Lacy proceeded out the door and down the hall. Casey smiled and returned to her desk.

SVUSVUSVU

After the weekend, the American Criminal Law class was just finishing looking over the case file.

"Tomorrow," Casey stood before the students, "we will have a test."

There was a collective groan.

"I know. I know," Casey continued, "I have to grade them. But, the school says we have to have at least one test before the end of the year. It sucks, but they won't bend the rules. Not even for all you junior counselors. All you need to know are the amendments, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Novak," the class said, purposely into monotonous unison.

"Very funny," Casey smiled, "Anyway, I've posted the cast list on the bulletin board, but I'll tell you know. Matt, you're the defense attorney for Jacob."

"Cool," Matt beamed.

"And Lacy, you're the prosecutor."

Lacy smiled to herself.

The bell rang.

"Another class had come and gone. Come on. Get out," Casey joked and pointed towards the door.

The kids laughed before gathering their case files and heading out the door. Lacy hurried to the door, but Casey started talking to her.

"Excited?"

"Yes, very," Lacy continued towards the door.

Casey stopped her.

"I know how you always wanted to be the prosecutor."

"Yes, thank you," Lacy kept her eyes on the door.

Casey frowned.

"Lacy, look at me."

Lacy turned to face her teacher.

"Yes, Miss Novak?"

Casey paused for a moment.

"Okay, you can go."

Lacy turned back towards the door to leave and that's when Casey noticed it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Casey placed her thumb just under Lacy's eye and gently wiped away the makeup.

Under the concealer, a purple bruise surrounded Lacy's eye.

"Lacy," Casey was concerned, "What happened?"

"You know, it's actually a funny story," Lacy laughed, "During gym, we played softball. I dove for a low hit and I caught it…after it bounced off my face."

"Really?"

"Scout's honor."

"You're free to go with the court's apology," Casey joked.

Lacy smiled and rushed to her locker. Casey watched her turn the corner as the gym teacher, Mr. Scholls, walked by.

"Greg," Casey said as the busy teacher kept walking, "You should have told me you played softball today. I throw a wicked curveball."

Casey smiled at the handsome man, whom she had developed a crush on.

"I would have," he said just before he turned the corner, "but we played soccer today."

Casey stood still for a moment, processing the information.

"Lacy lied to me?"

SVUSVUSVU


	2. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I just checked my email and noticed that I had roughly 50 million and 4 messages about Schoolhouse Blues. Thank you guys for all the feedback. I'm currently typing the next chapter as we speak. Speak? Type? Read? I don't know, but I'm working on it. I've been working on lots of other fics and I apologize for neglecting Casey and Lacy! I didn't notice the rhyming names until after I posted Chapter 1. The name will make sense later on. Keep reviewing and I'll keep posting. Much more to come. Ideas include some femslash with Rolivia, Cabenson, and/or Covak, a young school therapist, a catholic school girl's death, a Rollins backstory, and a traumatized girl with only a few words and a smile. Hopefully, I write and post some, if not all, of those. Well, I should finish typing and update. Until we meet again. Bye!

BensonandStabler

#savebenson


	3. Chapter 2

Casey walked down the aisles of desk and watched as her busy students completed their tests.

"Hey! Liam!" Casey whispered loudly as two boys threw erasers across the room at each other, "Quit it or you get an F."

"Sorry, Miss Novak," they whispered, looking forward.

"You better be," she warned them and continued walking.

Casey made her way across the room, occasionally helping a student with a problem or writing passes.

"Liam! Seriously, if I see one more eraser out of the corner off my eye, I'm sending you to the principal's office and requesting remand!" Casey threatened.

Liam's eyes widened and he quickly put his head down. Casey smiled in satisfaction and turned as the other students giggled. She had been too caught up with the disruptive students to remember that she wanted to talk with Lacy. There was 5 minutes left of class when Casey finally reached the last desk in the back of the room. She saw Lacy staring in the distance with her pen hovering an inch from her paper. Casey looked down to see that Lacy hadn't answered a single question. Casey crouched down next to the desk.

"Lacy? You okay?"

Lacy looked at her slowly, smiling just slightly, and nodded. Casey looked at her, unbelievingly.

"Come on," Casey looked at the blank test, "You know this. The First Amendment protects what 5 freedoms?"

Lacy just keep staring.

"Lacy?"

The pen slipped out of her hand and rolled to the floor. Lacy didn't react.

"Okay, come here," Casey guided Lacy to her feet and took her into the empty hallway.

"Lacy, what's wrong? You lied to me about softball yesterday and now, you're not listening to me. Tell me what's wrong."

Lacy blinked as her body shook. Casey placed the back of her hand on Casey's forehead.

"Honey, you're burning up. Let's get you to the nurse, okay?"

Lacy felt her knees buckle and she collapsed.

"Oh, Lacy!" Casey exclaimed catching the young girl in her arms.

She slowly lowered herself and Lacy to the ground.

"Barbara!" Casey called to the teacher in the room across the hall.

An older blonde teacher came to the door.

"Call an ambulance," Casey commanded.

Barbara pulled the phone from the receiver and dialed 911. Casey brushed the hair from Lacy's eyes.

"Wake up, sweetheart," she said, lightly tapping her face, "Come back. Lacy?"

Lacy heard Casey call her name before everything went black.

SVUSVUSVU

An hour later, Lacy was awake at the hospital, wondering what was wrong with her. Then, a tall doctor with thick, black hair entered the room.

"Hello, Lacy. I'm Doctor Burke," the man smiled, "We did some tests and everything came back normal. We believe it was all just stress related, so take it easy and get some sleep. You can get changed and we'll call someone to pick you up."

Doctor Burke left the room and Lacy found her clothes.

In the waiting room, Casey paced nervously, but approached Doctor Burke as he entered the room.

"How is she?"Casey asked.

"She's perfectly fine. Just stress. You said that you called a parent, right?"

"Yes, her father's on his way."

"Okay. Good."

Just then, a broad shoulder, tall man walked into the reception area. Casey walked over to him.

"Hello, Mr. Mitchell," Casey shook his hand, "I'm Casey Novak, Lacy's teacher."

"Call me George. Where is she?" he asked, looking around.

"She'll be here in a minute. You just have to sign her out." Casey gestured to the reception desk.

George leaned on the desk and scrawled his signature across the papers. Lacy walked out off her room and closed the door behind her. She looked at her father and rushed over to him, pulling him aside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your teacher called and I had to come all the way down here to get you."

The rest of the conversation was inaudible to Casey until she heard Lacy shout.

"You can't leave her in the car!" Lacy hurried out into the parking lot.

"I cracked the window," George sighed, following after her.

Casey was confused, but she was just happy that Lacy was okay.

"Damn," she thought to herself as she walked outside, "Now, I have to grade tests."

SVUSVUSVU

The next day, it rained_ ALL _day. Not just the little pitter patter shower, it was the torrential down pouring kind. At the end of the day, Casey hurried out to her car, holding a newspaper over her head. She ducked into her car and started the engine. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the road to the streetlight. She drove all the way down Lexington, going out of her way to pass both the D.A.'s office and the 16th Precinct. She hadn't stepped foot inside either building since she was disbarred, but she passed by them every day. Some days, they were swamped with media and other days, it was quiet. Today, she drove by and slowed down slightly as she always did. She watched as Olivia walked towards the building, laughing at something Elliot had said. Olivia turned the street, trying to stop laughing at Elliot's goofy face. She looked up and her eyes met Casey's. She stopped laughing and Elliot turned to look as well. Casey sped up the car and drove away quickly. She let her breath out in a sigh as she drove a couple blocks down to East 64th where she noticed a girl walking in the rain. She pulled over next to her.

"Lacy," Casey shouted over the heavy rain, "What are you doing? I thought you took the bus."

"Oh, hi, Miss Novak," Lacy smiled as she approached the car with dripping hair, "I walk home."

"I'll give you a ride. Hop in."

"I'll be fine. I don't want to get your car wet," Lacy assured her.

"Get in the car or I'll fail you."

Lacy sighed and pulled open the passenger side door. She sat down and closed the door behind her. Casey pulled away from the curb. Lacy looked to her, smiling.

"You would never fail me."

"You're right, but it got you in the car," Casey laughed, "So, where am I heading?"

"166 East 61st," she replied.

Casey almost crashed the car.

"You're telling me you walk almost 20 city blocks every day. Lacy, that's insane."

"I like walking," Lacy shrugged.

Casey scoffed. They drove another 3 blocks and turned. Casey pulled over across the street from the building.

"Aw, damn," Lacy jumped out of the car and headed in.

Casey jumped out and followed after her.

"What? What is it?" Casey asked as they walked up the stairs.

"Dad went out. His car's gone."

"So?" Casey asked, as they entered the 3rd floor.

Lacy pulled a keychain out of her pocket and fumbled through several keys. She jammed one in the lock on her door and walked inside. Casey followed behind and entered the small apartment. She walked past a hall with a bedroom and a bathroom. Then, they reached the open room. Casey saw a small kitchen with a stove and a trashcan fill of empty cans. To the side, there was a small couch and a crib filled with fluffy, bubblegum pink blankets next to a few boxes of clothes.

"Hey, Abbie," Lacy cooed as she reached into the crib, "Aw, baby. Don't cry."

Lacy pulled out _the_ most adorable baby girl that Casey had ever seen. Abbie had dark brown eyes and brunette hair. Her bottom lip was trembling when her sister picked her up. Lacy rocked her back and forth and sung softly in her ear until a smile crossed Abbie's face. Lacy turned to Casey.

"Thank you for the ride."

"No problem. Do you need anything?"

"No," Lacy smiled and whispered as Abbie drifted off in her arms, "She's a good girl."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye," Lacy whispered as Casey walked out.

Casey walked down the stairs and headed out to her car. She was about to drive away when the car door outside the building slammed shut and George stepped out.

"LACY!" he shouted up to the open window, "Lacy! Get down here!"

A minute later, Lacy walked out of the lobby and stood in the threshold. Abbie was awake in her arms.

"Come out here," George commanded.

"No. I don't want Abbie to catch a cold."

George took a step towards them. Casey watched from her car as George screamed at Lacy with a string of profanities that would make a sailor blush. Lacy spoke back as calmly as possible. Out of nowhere, George raised his fist and punched Lacy across the face. She spun from the force and struggled not to drop Abbie, who began crying. Lacy took a breath and turned to face her father.

"GO! RIGHT NOW! GO!" Lacy screamed at George, who angrily stepped back in his car and drove off.

Casey ran across the street towards Lacy.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay," Lacy held back tears and headed toward the door.

"Lacy…" Casey called.

Lacy turned around with green eyes full of shock. A drop of blood trickled down her lip. She turned and quickly ran inside. Casey sat dumbfounded and slowly walked away.

SVUSVUSVU


	4. Author's Note 2

Hey guys! I'm working on some other fics now and this one as well. I wanted to just mention a couple things about this story.

1) I used a Google Maps to plot out Casey's route from an actual Manhattan school and past an actual police department and Lacy's address is an actual apartment building.

2) Abbie is not named after Abbie Carmichael. I originally planned to spell it Abby like Abby Sciuto but when typing, I had an sudden epiphany of my love for Abbie Carmichael and changed it. I used a baby picture I found online as a model for Abbie.

3) I have had a blonde teacher named Barbara in my junior high days

4) Remember the name Lacy and the trashcan full of cans...Remember them...

Until we meet again.

-BensonandStabler

#savebenson


	5. Author's Note 3: Return of the Author!

Hey guys.

Yes, another author's note. Sorry for the long gaps in between chapters. I tend to have cram writing sessions, as I call them, and pour all my emotion into one chapter. That and my computer was jacked up for about a week... Anyway, thanks you guys sooooo much for all the support and feedback. I read over every review and I just smiled. It made my day! I'm typing the next chapter now and made this note to assure you I WILL finish this fic! I may get the next chapter up today, if not tomorrow. Cross my heart. *computer malfunction* You guys would kill me :) Anyway, I better get back to typing.

Until we meet again.

Bye!

51 DAYS UNTIL WE #SAVEBENSON!


	6. I'M BAAAAACKwith 5 RULES!

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK! And contrary to popular scuttlebutt, I'm not dead. I know it has been an excruciatingly long time since I last updated SHB and I sincerely apologize. My old computer completely shut down and it took weeks to get a new one. Plus, September being SVU premiere month, I was working on A LOT of collages. Also, over the summer through today, I have read 8 books in the Rizzoli and Isles series. 8! And they are all AMAZING! I finished _Ice Cold_ about an hour ago and suddenly remembered: _Hey! Wasn't I writing a fanfiction? _Thanks to everyone who posted reviews and followed me and/or my stories. You guys are the BEST and I love you! BTW, I deleted _Mine_...I really hate it. I wrote it the looongest time ago and...well, I hate it! SHB is my only good published FF. I may also delete _What Happens in Africa_ unless tons of people protest within the next couple days. I have DOZENS of ideas for new fics so guys, TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE AND I WILL (try to) MAKE IT HAPPEN! I don't only do SVU, I also do, RIZZOLI AND ISLES and NCIS! SEND ME IDEAS! I ship most of the SVU, NCIS, and Rizzoli and Isles ships so just ask me which ones you want to see or PM me. Also, I have a few rules about my requests:

5 RULES OF MY FANFICS REQUESTS

1. I DON'T DO SMUT! End of discussion.

2. I really have no reason to like Rafael Barba...at all. You can ask for him until your typing fingers bleed. I still will stick with Alex or Casey or any other ADA...even Kim Greylek...IT WAS ONE TIME!

3. I LOVE to do crossovers. If you have a favorite show you want me to crossover with, I will spend hours researching your show to get you a good story.

4. I work with a lot of dead/past characters on shows. Examples: Caitlin Todd has been in every NCIS fic I have come up with so far. Elliot Stabler is in a lot of my SVU fics. ETC.

5. Crack fics are one of my FAVORITES! I'm majoring in humor (2nd year!)

Plus, I have a short NCIS fic coming up that will take me maybe 10 minutes to type, so I'll finish that as I type the next SHB chapter right now. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Until we meet again.

Bye

-BensonandStabler

#SAFEBENSON *phew*


	7. Chapter 3 (Finally)

AN: Find me on Deviant ART at **ThatFrostsMyCookies** for funny journals and FF updates. They call me **Frost**. You should too.

"_Six. That's the sixth person I've held the door for so I wouldn't have to go in_," Casey thought to herself.

She forced herself to remember Lacy. The fear on her face when she turned around and the blood oozing down her chin. Her tear-filled, glassy green eyes.

"_Green eyes like me_," she thought.

And, of course, the baby who had the same sadness behind the same green eyes as her big sister. Casey paused for a minute. Sister…

"_Is she her sister?_" Casey panicked interally, "_Oh god._"

She scoured her mind for a memory of Lacy saying sister, but she couldn't remember one. That had convinced her. Casey opened the Precinct door and slowly stepped inside. The buzz of telephones and shuffling feet rang through the building. All was right. All was good. Even as Casey walked past the front door, past the same guard who would say "Good morning, Miss Novak" to her every morning. She answered with her usual reply:

"Hello, Officer Carroll."

"Vince," he would insist.

"Casey," she would insist.

They insisted on going by their first names, yet neither one of them ever did. In a crazy world of uncertainity, it's nice to know that one thing will always stay the same. Casey smiled for a moment, lost what used to be, but she snapped out of it and remembered why she was here. Not to prosecute, not get a conviction. She was in her street clothes and she was a teacher. She reminded herself of these things as she took the elevator up the the squadroom. As the doors slid open, it was like opening up a time capsule. Not a thing had changed. She made her way to the bullpen and stopped to peer in the glass doors. Munch and Fin sat at their desks, inaudibly bickering, most likely over some obscure theory. Across the room, Olivia and Elliot were laughing, obviously over a successful conviction. They _always _talked shit about defense attorneys and their clients. All was right. All was good. Cragen stepped out of his office followed by a woman. Her brown hair was pulled taut into a bun and she was dressed in grey for court. When Casey finally got a good look at the woman's face, she almost cut herself on the woman's eyes. So cold, so sharp. That was new.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" a uniform asked Casey, who snapped out of her trance.

"Oh, yes. I need to speak with Detective Benson."

"She may be busy at the moment."

"_Bull, she's sitting there, drinking coffee_," Casey thought of saying, but instead said, "I'm here to report abuse."

The uniform nodded and proceeded into the squadroom.

"I was about to kick his teeth in," Elliot mumbled.

"You knew he was being convicted. I mean, was there ever a doubt?" Olivia asked.

"When Langan fudged up that twinkie insanity defense?"

"And it really helped his case, didn't it?" she added sarcatically, "I've seen Munch act crazier."

"Detective Benson?" the uniform interrupted, "There's a woman here to report abuse."

Olivia turned to Elliot for a moment before following the uniform out into the hallway. He pointed out Casey and Olivia's eyes widened. Panic was her first reaction.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she rushed over.

She turned Casey around to face her and looked her up and down.

"Casey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Casey looked confused, "Yeah, why would you-oh…no, no it's not me."

Olivia took a breath, "Oh thank God. Then, who is it?"

"It's one of my students."

"Students?"

"I teach American Law at Brookside. Olivia, this is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet in your life. I need your help."

"Okay, come on. Let's sit."

Olivia led Casey back to the squadroom and to her desk. Casey sat in the chair next to Olivia's desk and looked around. Munch and Fin stopped in the middle of their heated debate to smile at her. She winked in reply. Olivia sat at her desk, shuffling through papers, looking for a blank report sheet.

"Sorry about all the mess," Olivia apologized, "We just finished a crazy case. Perp tried to kill our ADA."

Olivia continued to sift through files. Casey looked around the room at all the people watching. She saw people. Ever. So. Slowly. Creeping into the room, leaning in towards their friends, whispering, laughing, and creeping out again. Finally, Casey stood up and turned the large group of whisperers. She took a few, slow steps closer to them before she stopped. The room was absolutely silent as she paused, looking into all their eyes. Finally, she simply said:

"I can hear you."

That was enough. They looked at her, eyes widened, and softly replied, "Sorry…"

"Thank you," Casey spun around and returned to her seat.

Olivia sat stunned for a moment.

"Wow, um…okay, what did you want to tell me?"

"Lacy. Her name is Lacy and she's only 14."

Casey stopped, wondering where to begin. She looked into Olivia's eyes, searching for a way to explain. Olivia could see the severity.

"_The all-powerful Casey Novak is speechless_," Olivia thought, "_What the hell is she about to tell me_?"

SVUSVUSVU

Code words. So many code words. Too many. Only third year American Law students, and Casey, knew all of them. Lacy glanced at the clock.

"Nothing further," Lacy looked to Frank Hamilton, the judge of the week, "The people request a recess, your Honor."

Frank looked to the clock.

"We shall recess until tomorrow."

It seemed simple enough, but the substitute teacher was having trouble keeping up.

"There's only a minute left of class," Ms. Alexander spoke up.

The whole class turned to face her.

"Yes…" Lacy started, "That's why we called a recess."

Ms. Alexander flipped through her notes.

"Oh….you kids are smarter than me," she finally gave up.

The deafening sound of the final bell rang through the school. The students gathered their books and scurried out the door. Lacy took her time transferring her books in her locker. By the time she finally zipped her backpack shut, the hall was clear and the last bus was rumbling away. Lacy listened to her own footsteps as she slowly walked down the hall. Questions raced through her mind.

"Where is she? She must telling the whole world. My god, she knows. She knows. She's going to tell Olivia. She trusts Olivia," she panicked as her world crumbled. Her cell phone rang as she passed the main office. She fumbled to silence it as teachers shushed her.

"Sorry," she whispered as she picked up the phone.

She stepped outisde and answered.

"Hello?"

"Lacy?"

"Hi, Mrs. Walters," she said, recognizing the voice of her neighbor, "What's wrong?"

"Abbie is absolutely shrieking. I tried to check on her, but the door is locked. Whena re you coming home?"

"Right now. I'll be there soon," Lacy hung up, "_If he touched her, I'll kill him_."

Then, she started running, sprinting for blocks and blocks. Sweat dripped down her face, stinging in her eyes. Her legs ached and she tried not to collapse. The weight of her books pulled at her back, slowly her down, but she finally arrived outside her three-story walk up. Panting, she jogged up the stairs. She fumbled with her keys as she heard Abbie through the thin walls. When she finally stepped inside, she dropped her backpack and ran over to Abbie's crib. Her heart sank. Burns and bruises painted Abbie's frail arms.

"Damn it!" Lacy growled as tears filled up in her eyes.

She picked up Abbie and rocked her slowly as she walked to the kitchen. She pulled two washcloths out of the top drawers and soaked them in cool water. Carefully, she fastened them around Abbie's arms.

"You're okay, baby, you're okay," Lacy rocked her slowly, "He's gone, baby. I'm here. I'm here."

She peeled back the washcloths and examined the burns. She needed to see a doctor. Lacy picked up one of the blankets from Abbie's crib and wrapped it around the baby. She picked up her keys and headed out the door.

SVUSVUSVU

AN: I wanted to write more for this chapter, but this had to be up today. I've left you guys hanging for waaaaay too long. Thanks!

-Frost


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